For public health workers in Capital, decades of struggle finally pays off

For years, Madhubala’s salary went towards her children’s school and college fees, leaving little for herself. A single mother who has raised two sons alone for the last three years, she has spent two decades working as a domestic breeding checker (DBC) with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). Now, after years of demanding better pay, the 45-year-old hopes she can finally start saving a little.

The reason: On Friday, she received Rs 27,000 in her bank account, a change from the around Rs 17,000 she earned every month until September.

The increase follows the MCD’s decision to raise the minimum monthly salary of its public health workers to Rs 18,000, along with dearness allowance, under the principle of “equal pay for equal work”.

“I have been raising two sons alone since the last three years after I separated from my husband due to domestic abuse. I spent all my salary on my children’s school and college fees. I have not spent anything on myself,” Madhubala says, adding that she will now try saving some money.

According to MCD Commissioner Sanjeev Khirwar, the decision will benefit around 4,000 workers and entail an annual financial burden of Rs 52 crore.

For Madhubala and her colleagues, the revised pay follows years of demands for better working conditions.

It was October last year when she took part in a strike along with Multi Tasking Staff (MTS) of the civic body. They demanded standardised pay, medical and earned leaves, and jobs for family members of employees who have passed away. After the strike was called off, the Mayor had promised the workers to consider their demands.

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Devananda Sharma, the general secretary of the DBC Workers Union who has worked as a frontline worker for over 30 years, recalled: “In 2016, we sat on the streets to protest and got provision for casual leaves, medical leaves and maternity break. Then in 2023, workers were redesignated as MTS.”

Alka (54), another worker, now wants to start saving for her daughter’s wedding. “Even if we don’t spend on anything extra, we still need to pay a rent of Rs 10,000. The landlord shows up on the first day of every month,” she says. Alka, who has worked for over 25 years now, says her medical expenses also need to be taken care of.

“We sometimes climb to the upper floors or terrace of buildings to check the water tank for mosquito breeding. Our knees hurt.” Alka works in Mayur Vihar and goes door to door to check for breeding. “But I still enjoy my work. This (hike in pay) will push us to do it more nicely,” she says.

Mayor Pravesh Wahi said the proposal had been announced in the previous Budget and was taken up with Chief Minister Rekha Gupta for an approval.

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The CM, meanwhile, said on Friday that her government is committed to upholding the dignity, rights and welfare of all those who work tirelessly to serve the people of Delhi.

The post of DBC was created after the 1996 dengue outbreak in the Capital, when 10,252 cases and 423 deaths were registered in a year. “Initially, considering the epidemic-like situation, the MCD started hiring workers, but that lasted for just 19 days. Hiring of DBCs on contractual basis began from 1997 onwards,” a senior MCD official had earlier said.